Cooking Bacon in the Oven

Cooking bacon in the oven is one of my absolute favorite ways to make bacon! How to cook bacon in the oven is as easy as 1,2,3!

Cooking bacon in the oven

Cooking bacon in the oven is my absolute favorite way to make crispy bacon! Sheet pan bacon for the win!

I’m all about easy when it comes to cooking in my kitchen. And I don’t know about you but bacon grease popping all over the stovetop from cooking bacon in the fry pan is not my definition of pleasant. Plus, who wants smelly bacon fat seeping to all areas of the house?

Not me!

When it comes to baking bacon, a large baking sheet and aluminum foil is all you really need. Well and of course some bacon strips!

Although, my mom swears by using laying the bacon on a wire rack on top of the rimmed baking sheet, before cooking bacon in the oven. It does help to get perfect bacon that’s crispy, especially if you’re cooking thick cut bacon.

How to cook bacon in the oven

First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees for thick bacon (or 375 degrees if using regular bacon) line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, all the way around the rims.

I often double coat the foil to keep as much bacon grease trapped into the foil in the name of less effort with clean up.

Do you need oil to cook bacon?

Nope! Please no. Lay the bacon on the sheet pan– you can put them close together to fit a bunch of bacon pieces on one pan. I can generally fit 8-12 ounces of bacon on one sheet pan.

How long to bake bacon?

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes to 25 minutes depending on how thick the bacon is and how crispy you like your bacon!

Once the bacon is cooked, place bacon on a paper towel lined platter to sop up any excess fat.

Other good ways to cook bacon?

Air Fryer Bacon

Cooking bacon on the grill

Bacon in toaster oven

Cooking bacon in microwave

Bacon on a griddle

Bacon Nutrition

Protein in bacon: bacon is a tasty source of protein! Yielding 3g per slice, on average, bacon is a great way to step up your protein game at breakfast. Or dinner, because breakfast for dinner is just the best! So yes, protein in bacon is something I can get on board with.

Carbs in bacon: if you are low carb for specific dietary reasons, bacon is a solid choice because there are basically zero carbs in bacon! A slice of bacon yields 0.1 grams of carbs per slice – see, basically zero carbs in bacon, just be sure to choose bacon with zero added sugar.

Sugar in bacon: when reading the bacon ingredient label you’ll notice that, more often than not, bacon contains cane sugar. This is what gives certain brands of bacon a little sweetness, however, the cane sugar is not absolutely necessary for bacon to taste good! Yes, often times there is sugar in bacon. If you’re looking for no sugar added bacon, check out brands such as “Applegate Organics No Sugar Bacon,” “Pederson’s” and “Jones Dairy Farm.”

Is bacon gluten free?: the good news is that bacon is naturally gluten free! But one thing to note here is cross contamination. If you’re gluten free, take precautions when it comes to your bacon of choice. Yes, bacon is naturally gluten free but there are chances that it can be processed in a facility that shares space or equipment with gluten containing ingredients.

Is center cut bacon better for you?

Center cut bacon is going to be a good choice if you’re looking for less fat per slice. Simply put, center cut bacon has the same great flavor as any other bacon minus the fatty end pieces – hence the reason why center cut bacon is less fat per slice!

Center cut bacon vs. turkey bacon

Calorie wise, there’s only about a 25 caloric difference between center cut bacon and turkey bacon. Turkey is much leaner than pork, so turkey bacon is fewer calories than center cut bacon. Turkey bacon also provides less protein per slice than regular or center cut bacon.

This is definitely going to be a personal choice – if you want fewer calories, go for turkey bacon. And if you want more protein and fat, choose center cut bacon. Simple as that!

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Hi I’m Kristina LaRue, millennial mom of two active and hungry boys, which makes me an around the clock milkmaid and cheerio picker upper. Here on Love & Zest, I share (mostly) healthy recipes to fuel the whole family and real life stories of modern motherhood.

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Thanks for stopping by Love & Zest. I’m Kristina LaRue, millennial mom of two active and hungry boys, which makes me an around the clock milkmaid and cheerio picker upper. Here on L&Z, I share (mostly) healthy recipes to fuel the whole family and real life stories of modern motherhood.ABOUT KRISTINA